Re-Colonizing Heritage

Yangon, Myanmar

AIA Chicago Martin Roche Research Grant, 2016

A visual study on the adaptive reuse of historic buildings throughout the city of Yangon, Myanmar. Many of these buildings were constructed during Myanmar’s tumultuous colonial past and their original programs have long been abandoned. Rather than leaving the vacant buildings for preservation or renovation, residents have created their own ad-hoc interventions. Spaces are re-programed and re-purposed, adding new architectural elements to create new forms all within the building’s original historic shell. Below are water-color section-cuts of select buildings that highlight the different methods of architectural intervention.

In addition the the paintings, I produced a book, Re-Colonizing Heritage, and gave a talk at the Design Museum of Chicago.